The four seniors qualified for the program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) during their junior year of high school and are among 16,000 students who achieved semifinalist status this year — less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors.

The students will compete for 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered next spring.